Veronica Sunbay Pergola, Marine Parade, Napier. North Is. New Zealand.
S 39° 29.373 E 176° 55.190
60H E 493106 N 5628892
This famous memorial pergola along Napier's Marine Parade was built in 1934 and named after the HMS Veronica, to remember the assistance given by the ship's officers and crew in rescue work in the aftermath of the devastating 1931 earthquake.
Waymark Code: WMQCE0
Location: North Island, New Zealand
Date Posted: 02/04/2016
Views: 10
The Marine Parade Gardens on Napier’s foreshore were created after the 1931 earthquake. Rubble from destroyed buildings was used to reclaim the land from the sea. In these gardens, several of Napier’s best-known structures are built including the memorial pergola known as the Veronica Sun Bay which is named after a Royal Navy ship HMS Veronica.
Earthquake History: Tuesday morning, 3 February 1931, at 10.47 a.m.
The navy sloop HMS Veronica had berthed in Napier’s harbour that morning. When the earthquake struck, the harbour bottom rose, leaving the ship aground. On deck, sailors watched as the wharf buckled, roads split open, and buildings collapsed in clouds of dust. The Veronica radioed Auckland, and within hours the cruisers HMS Dunedin and Diomede were on their way, each carrying 450 men and officers, doctors and nurses from Auckland Hospital, and medical and emergency equipment. They arrived the following dawn. Meanwhile, teams of the Veronica’s sailors spread out into the town to help with rescue efforts.
Description: The large Sunbay Pergola consists of a curved arcade with a wall of solid concrete pillars and wooden seating on the seaward side and a long row of double columns on the western side. Etched in the beam above the centre arch of the colonnade is the quote: "Courage is the thing: all goes if courage goes".
The structure was originally built in 1934, and in 1937 it was named the "Veronica Sun Bay" when the bell from HMS Veronica was presented to the city. However, by 1988, the steel reinforcing of the original structure had badly corroded and was unsafe. It was demolished and replaced with a replica in 1991. Rebuilding of the Sun Bay was accomplished through the initiative and leadership of the Rotary Club of Napier and contributions from the citizens of Hawke's Bay and the Napier City Council. A plaque was unveiled at the dedication of the rebuilt memorial. It took place on the Sixtieth Anniversary of the earthquake - 3rd February 1991.
Is the pergola freestanding or attached to a structure?: Freestanding
Free to visit?: Free to the public
Web address or URL: [Web Link]
Secondary web address or URL: Not listed
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